


The Siren Incident

by Little_Plebe



Series: Wish Prompts [4]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Bucky and Darcy have issues, F/M, Idiots in Love, Not Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Compliant, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Sirens, Some Humor, Tony is well adjusted or at least pretends to be, mentions of other marvel characters - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2017-10-30
Packaged: 2019-01-26 20:04:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12565140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Little_Plebe/pseuds/Little_Plebe
Summary: Stormy skies, dark choppy waters, a mysterious tune in the air, a ship manned by Midgard’s most capable warriors… it was a scene right out of a medieval fantasy novel.“Right,” Steve began. “Have you, by any chance, heard of Sirens?”“Sirens, as in the myth? As in, mermaids who lure sailors into their traps with songs? As in—”“Yeah, yeah, they’re real,” Tony declared, cutting her off.





	The Siren Incident

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hollyspacey](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hollyspacey/gifts).



> Story based on a wish prompt sent to me by [hollyspacey](http://hollyspacey.tumblr.com/) on tumblr. [Link here](http://littleplebe.tumblr.com/post/163770793599/heyyyyy-i-wish-you-would-write-a-wintershock-with).

“Dr. Foster, the Avengers have returned. Prince Thor requests your presence in the med bay.”

Darcy’s ears pricked up at the announcement and she glanced at Jane to find her wide-eyed with worry.

“Is he hurt? Is anyone hurt?” Jane asked, already closing her laptop and swiping her phone off the desk.

“Only Sergeant Barnes and Agent Barton.”

“Shit,” Darcy whispered in dismay.

She watched Jane from the corner of her eye as the scientist hurried to the door but Darcy, herself, made no move to leave. She desperately wanted to go, but decided she would simply clutter up the area. Post-mission reunions were exclusive to the Avengers and their beloved/close friends only.

“You, too, Ms. Lewis,” JARVIS said.

Darcy looked up, bewildered. “What now?”

“Your presence is required in the med bay as well.”

Jane stopped at the door and turned to her stumped assistant. “Well, don’t just sit there!”

Darcy jumped up and sped after Jane, her mind spinning with concern for Clint and Bucky, interspersed with her bafflement over JARVIS’ message. Sure, she was acquainted with the Avengers, some more than others, but she wasn’t _that_ close to any of them, at least not enough to warrant an invitation to post-mission group hugs.

Jane took the private elevator down to the medical floor, Darcy fidgeting nervously beside her.

“How hurt do you think they are?” she asked, looking around at the slick metal lining of the elevator. It was bigger than the employee elevator and housed a freaking _couch_ in case one got tired of standing.

Darcy didn’t have clearance to use the private elevator.

“I don’t know.” Jane shrugged. “Hope they’re not too serious. Bucky can heal, but Clint...”

“Yeah.” Darcy coughed guiltily. She was more worried about Bucky. Clint was a great guy, no doubt, but Bucky? Bucky was special. He was strong, funny, criminally handsome, and he appreciated Darcy’s choice in movies.

She maybe nursed a small crush on him. Maybe.

Small.

One-sided.

Jane poked her when they reached the med bay and Darcy looked up to find the Avengers, Nick Fury and Maria Hill standing there in a circle. Thor broke off to envelope Jane in his arms, pressing a brief, relieved kiss to her lips.

“Darcy,” he said with a smile, turning to give her a hug as well.

Darcy happily hugged him back, squeezing his biceps and lingering deliberately until he barked out a laugh and pushed her away.

“Lewis,” Tony Stark greeted, beckoning her into the circle. “How many times have I told you, no inappropriate behavior in my tower?”

Darcy rolled her eyes. “Like you’re one to talk. How’s Bucky?” she asked, adding belatedly, “And Clint?”

“They’ll be fine.”

“Cool.” She stifled a sigh of relief. “So why am I here?”

Tony eyed the people around them. “Anyone want to fill her in on what happened?”

The first person to catch Darcy’s eye was Steve. He looked drained but offered her a polite smile. Beside him, Natasha Romanoff smirked, looking no less scary than she usually looked. Fury and Agent Hill were as impassive as ever. Dr. Banner sported tattered clothes and looked about ready to collapse.

No one stepped up to answer Tony’s question.

“What is it?” Darcy finally blurted, unable to take the suspense. “Is it my parents? Are they supervillains now? ‘Cause last I checked, my dad was working with unstable chemicals at _Kripko Chem_.”

Darcy had warned him to be careful. Playing with science was what had caused Johann Schmidt to become the Red Skull in the first place. It wasn’t safe, dammit! Why did no one ever listen to her?

“This is all your fault,” she threw carelessly at Jane, who gave her a flat look, totally unaffected by the baseless accusation. She was used to Darcy blaming her for every wrong thing in her life. More often than not, it was funny.

“Your dad’s fine, Darcy,” Steve assured her. He sighed and looked at Fury, who grimaced.

“I’m outta here. Debrief in an hour.”

“I dislike him a lot,” Darcy whispered to Tony as the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D. stalked off, his leather coat billowing impressively behind him.

“Everyone does,” Tony whispered back. “He’s very unlikable.”

Once Fury had disappeared, Steve stepped forward and took Darcy’s arm, leading her some distance away from the group. Tony followed, a curious bounce to his step. For a man sporting an ugly bruise on his forehead, he looked a little too gleeful for Darcy’s comfort.

“Uh,” she mumbled, glancing back at the others. They watched her for a moment before Jane said something and everyone turned their attention to her. Darcy scrunched up her face at Tony. “Am I fired? Because I swear I haven’t posted unsolicited Avengers photos on twitter in more than three weeks!”

Tony snorted, but was otherwise unsurprised by her admission. “You’re not fired, but we’re gonna have a talk about your extracurricular activities in the tower.”

“Never mind that,” Steve interrupted impatiently. “Darcy, this is about the mission.”

Darcy blinked, a surprised smile beginning to creep onto her face. “You’re allowed to tell me? Am I being promoted?”

“Uh, no. Normally, we wouldn’t tell you about where we go and what we do but...” Here, Steve paused and looked uneasily at the closed door to his left. “But this concerns you, so...”

Darcy nodded slowly, wondering how in hell an Avengers mission could concern her. _Stranger things have happened, Darcy,_ she reminded herself, smiling at Steve in encouragement. “Lay it on me, Captain.”

Her eyes flickered briefly to the closed door. Was Bucky in there?

“Right,” Steve began. “Have you, by any chance, heard of Sirens?”

“Sirens, as in the myth? As in, mermaids who lure sailors into their traps with songs? As in—”

“Yeah, yeah, they’re real,” Tony declared loudly, cutting her off.

Darcy’s smile didn’t falter. If anything, it widened in amusement, a laugh bubbling up inside her, ready to burst forth at the first sight of a mischievous smile on their faces. She waited for one of them to yell ‘Gotcha!’ and when no one did, her brow furrowed in confusion. She focused her questioning gaze on Steve, who looked as serious as ever. If Captain America was serious, it definitely couldn’t be a joke.

“I guess,” she began carefully. “I guess I can believe that.” After all, she _had_ faced aliens, giant fire demons and more recently, before coming to live in the Tower, a handful of HYDRA creeps trying to kidnap Jane.

“They’re not from here. But they do exist in Asgard,” explained Steve. “Apparently, someone thought it’d be fun to drop Sirens into the Pacific and let them cause havoc. Thor found out and we immediately left to capture them.”

Wow, Sirens. Darcy couldn’t stop the grin spreading on her face when the cool quotient of their mission finally settled in. Her overactive imagination instantly began conjuring images to support Steve’s words. Stormy skies, dark choppy waters, a mysterious tune in the air, a ship manned by Midgard’s most capable warriors… it was a scene right out of a medieval fantasy novel.

“So, you were off on an exciting fishing trip this past week, eh?” Darcy couldn’t help but ask, “What are they like, the Sirens? Beautiful or monstrous? Green or sparkly? Wait... how are you guys even here right now? Shouldn’t you be rotting in their underwater caves, lulled there by their enchanting voices?”

“Your confidence in our abilities is inspiring,” deadpanned Tony.

Darcy snickered. “So, what happened? Did you capture them all?”

“We couldn’t. It got really ugly and none of them survived.” Steve paused and looked at the door again. “Except one.”

“Oookay.” Darcy’s eyes swept from Steve to Tony and back. “I’m still waiting for the part where you tell me how any of this concerns me.”

“The remaining Siren… well, Bucky wouldn’t let us kill her and,” Steve cleared his throat, “and so we brought her here.”

“Also, she looks like you,” Tony added quickly, earning a glare from Cap. The billionaire merely shrugged.

Darcy stared at them, utterly nonplussed. “What?”

“Yes, well, Sirens assume the form of—”

“The person you desire the most,” she finished impatiently. “I know that, Steve! But what does that have to do with... wait, are you in love with me?”

“No! God, no! I mean, you’re great, but...”

“I get it, Cap, jeez!” She crossed her arms and regarded both men shrewdly. “So then, Tony saw Pepper and Thor must have seen Jane... correct?”

“Not quite. Thor is a demigod. He’s immune to Sirens. And I was in my Iron suit. It protected me from their charms.”

Darcy frowned. “Okay. What about the others?”

“The Hulk doesn’t desire anyone, nor does Romanoff, which,” Tony turned to Steve with a pout, “was a missed opportunity. Now I’m wondering if she’s a cyborg.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “Women are immune to Siren magic, Tony. Don’t be an ass.” His tone changed then, as he spoke softly, “I saw Peggy. She was beautiful. She swam out of the water and took my hand.” Steve gulped. “But I snapped out of the enchantment when Tony punched me and reminded me she’s dead.”

“You’re welcome, by the way,” sang Tony. “Otherwise she’d have pulled you right into the ocean with Barnes.”

Darcy’s gaze flicked from one man to the other as they spoke, her brain working full time to process all this new and incredible information. Needing a moment to sort everything out, she tuned out the conversation and focused her energy on what Steve and Tony were ultimately trying to tell her.

She thought she knew. It scared her a bit, but she was beginning to get an inkling of where this conversation was headed and how she was involved. Butterflies erupted in her stomach at the mere idea of it, giant butterflies, ones that only took flight when a certain super soldier was around.

“We don’t really know who the Siren turned into to hypnotize Clint,” Steve was saying when Darcy focused on him again.

“I heard him call her Laura,” supplied Tony, sounding intrigued. “Who’s Laura?”

They stood in thought for a moment before Steve placed a gentle hand on Darcy’s shoulder, his blue eyes earnest. “I think you know now why you’re here.”

“Y-yeah.” She looked hesitantly at the door. “Are they in there?”

Steve nodded. “The Siren is there too, but she’s beyond the glass pane. Imprisoned. Don’t... don’t look at her.”

Tony waved off his advice and remarked, “You can check her out if you want, but since she refuses to change forms, it’ll be a bizarro parent trap kinda situation, so try not to freak out.” He opened the door and stepped aside to let her in.

Darcy found herself in a small private ward with three beds lining the opposite wall. To her right lay an unconscious Clint, bruised and battered, with his leg in a cast. She watched him for a moment, her heart heavy. Suddenly, the latest mission didn’t seem so cool anymore. It had evidently been dangerous and exhausting. And Clint seemed to have gotten the short end of the stick. The Sirens had done one hell of a number on him.

“Darcy?”

She jumped slightly and turned to see Bucky sitting on a bed, shirtless, his metal hand resting just above a long red gash on his abdomen. He looked alarmed to see her. “Who let you in?”

Darcy stepped closer, her eyes trained on his injury. An inch of it, at the top, had healed already and the scar it left behind was pink and swollen. She was about to ask him how he was feeling when a movement to her left caught her eye.

“Don’t…” Bucky began but it was too late. Darcy had already whipped around and was now gaping openly at the sight before her.

“Woah,” she murmured, momentarily forgetting about Bucky and going to stand before the glass pane. If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought she was looking into a mirror.

The woman on the other side looked just like her. Same blue-green eyes, pouty lips, flowing dark hair… even the expression on her face reflected Darcy on a typical day, bored and ready to dish out a sarcastic comment at the drop of a hat.

 _Still_ , there was something about her. A certain glow that Darcy lacked. She wore rags which she plucked and pulled at, clearly wanting to get rid of them. But someone, one of the Avengers perhaps, had strapped twin belts around her frame to hold the rags in place and to keep her from stripping naked. Darcy flushed, thinking about one of the guys covering her bare body with the fabric. It was embarrassing to think someone wearing _her_ skin had pranced naked in front of the mighty Avengers.

Muffled sound of Bucky calling her name reached her ears but Darcy couldn’t take her eyes off of herself. She idly wondered if Sirens could bewitch, not just men but, women too. Without thinking, she raised a hand and placed it on the thick sheet of glass separating them. The Siren’s lips moved but no sound came out. The glass was probably sound proof.

For a moment, it looked like she would imitate the action and place her palm over Darcy’s, but the next second, she lunged at the glass, her lips pulled back over her sharp, animal-like teeth in a seemingly silent growl.

Darcy shrieked and jumped back, colliding with something solid. Heart hammering in her chest, she tore her gaze away from her scary clone and turned to find Bucky standing behind her.

“Are you all right?”

“Dude,” she breathed, clutching his arm tightly. “Why did the Siren take on my image to try and seduce you?”

Bucky looked pained, like he was fighting with himself and didn’t know how to respond.

“Is there something you wanna tell me?” Darcy pressed, willing him to speak.

She was nervous _and_ excited to hear his confession. In all the months she had known him, not once had he given any indication that he desired her as more than a friend. He hung out with her whenever they ran into each other, but never went out of his way to seek her. He was also very unapologetic about leaving abruptly when he wasn’t in the mood to be around her or anyone else.

Jane had once remarked that his eyes followed Darcy whenever they were in the same room. Her off-hand remark had been waved aside, presumed false and possibly a product of her vivid imagination. But maybe she had been right. Darcy was always so focused on _not_ staring at Bucky for too long that she hadn’t realize he noticed her too.

Now, as she stared hopefully into his slightly glassy eyes, she cursed herself for how blind she’d been.

“You should leave.” His gruff voice, low with restraint, popped her growing bubble of happiness and Darcy looked at him, confused.

“What?”

“Go. Now,” Bucky practically begged and Darcy’s heart sank.

“Yeah, okay.” He was embarrassed, that was it. Maybe he was ashamed of wanting her. Or maybe he didn’t really want her and the Siren’s magic was flawed; it had shown him Darcy instead of someone else.

She stumbled away from him, feeling utterly stupid. “Cool. It’s all cool, Barnes. I… I won’t ever bring it up, if that’s what you want.”

She turned around and fled the room, slamming the door shut behind her. Everyone outside had left, except Steve and Natasha, who were standing in a corner with Steve slumped against the wall and Natasha whispering something fast in his ear. At one point, she pulled her hand back and slapped him hard.

“Snap out of it,” Darcy heard her say before she stepped into the elevator and let it whisk her away from the craziness.

\--o--

That evening, Thor brought the limp body of an unfamiliar woman into the lab.

“What the hell?” Darcy exclaimed, rolling her chair far away and making a face at Jane.

The astrophysicist looked apologetic. “This is why Steve had to tell you about her,” she said. “So you wouldn’t freak out when Thor brought her here.”

Darcy had no idea what Jane was talking about. “Who _is_ she?”

When she got no answer, only twin expressions of ‘take a guess, why don’t you?’ realization dawned and Darcy’s gaze snapped back to the unconscious woman who looked _nothing_ like her. She had ginger hair, dry thin lips, and skin the color of lichen.

“Why does she look like that?” she asked Thor.

“It’s her original form,” he explained. “I assumed seeing her awake would upset you, like it did earlier.” Darcy wondered how he knew. “Therefore I requested the Midgardian healer to drug her. Following that, she naturally changed back into her original form.”

“Whatever.” Darcy sniffed. “Why did you bring her here?”

Jane cleared a table far away from the important equipment. “Bruce wanted me to run some tests on her before Thor takes her back to Asgard. Are you going to stay and help?”

“Not if you’re planning to mutilate her for science.” At the horrified look on Jane’s face, Darcy quickly backtracked. “Joke. ‘Twas a joke, Janey.”

She watched Thor lay her down on the table, then asked quietly, “Is Bucky okay now?”

Thor nodded and regarded her seriously. “Are you?”

Darcy broke into a reluctant grin. “Pfft. I’m alive and kickin’, big guy. Never been better. Tell me, what do I have to do? Remove an eyeball, pluck out all her hair, superglue her fingers together…?”

Jane huffed. “Let’s start with taking a sample of her blood, shall we?”

 

Two minutes in, Darcy exclaimed triumphantly, “Look at that, her blood is green. Told you there’s something wrong with her.”

“Darcy, focus.”

“Her magic is clearly flawed. The Avengers were duped.”

\--o--

The Siren incident turned her entire life upside down. She couldn’t meet Steve’s eyes or Bruce’s or Natasha’s, knowing that they had seen her naked, watched her attack them and mercilessly pull one of their friends underwater. She couldn’t talk to them freely without wondering if they’d be triggered by the sight of her.

She knew it hadn’t been her. _They_ knew it, too. But Darcy still couldn’t reconcile with the fact that a monster had taken her form to seduce an Avenger.

“I don’t understand what’s so upsetting about this,” Tony wondered when he visited Jane’s lab a few days later and saw Darcy moping around. “Shouldn’t you be happy Barnes is warm for your form? Granted, he’s a first class jerk most of the time but he’s an okay guy overall.”

Out of all the Avengers, Tony seemed to have moved past the incident really fast. Darcy didn’t know if it disturbed her or endeared him to her. These days, he was more open to her interference in his life and had started calling her Darcy instead of Lewis. It felt nice. He didn’t judge her, didn’t look at her like she had betrayed him somehow. Well, neither did the others, yet Darcy couldn’t help but feel her presence made them uncomfortable.

“Tony,” she sighed, shooting him a halfhearted glare. “First of all, he’s not a jerk. Second of all, you don’t understand what I’m going through.”

“You’re thinking too much, Darcy. Stop assuming things and get out of this stuffy lab once in a while. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good.” He winked as he left. “Now forget about the Siren and look at the bright side.”

Darcy moaned and thunked her head on her desk. There was nothing bright or positive about what had happened. She blamed Steve for telling her about the Siren. Making her think, for a few short euphoric moments, that _Bucky Barnes_ desired her. Clearly he didn’t, and was just as disturbed as she was about it all.

In a bid to clear the air with her, he had taken to showing up at the most unexpected moments. When she was having breakfast in the kitchen with Thor and Jane. When she was returning from her afternoon coffee run. When she snuck up to the communal floor to relax when no one was around.

Darcy knew he was deliberately seeking her out. She knew because, while previously she had a hard time finding him whenever she wanted to hang out, now he was everywhere! He even went so far as to send her a box of her favorite cookies with a small note attached that read _I’m sorry. We need to talk._

But Darcy wasn’t stupid. If all he wanted to say was sorry, that the Siren incident had been a terrible mistake and Darcy shouldn’t have been there in the first place, then she had no interest in talking to him whatsoever. In fact, he had _nothing_ to apologize for. None of what had happened was his fault. Seeing the Siren take Darcy’s form had caused everyone to jump to false conclusions without a _single_ consideration of the fact that the darned sea witch could have made a mistake.

It was the reason why Darcy wasn’t ready to face Bucky, wasn’t ready to hear him say sorry. She didn’t want his pity. Nor was she keen to see the rejection in his eyes. Again.

No. Staying away was the best option.

With that thought in mind, she began to avoid him. She left the kitchen when he showed up, changed directions when she glimpsed him in the distance, avoided the communal floor, ignored his calls, and tossed the box of cookies to Jane, not before snagging a cookie for herself and stomping up to her room to sulk. _How was this her life?_

She’d have to tell Steve to tell Bucky to get off her back. She knew what he wanted to say. He didn’t have to freaking spell it out to her!

\--o--

“Jane, can I have the evening off?”

“Why?”

“I’m sick.” Darcy faked a cough.

Jane looked skeptical. “Nice try. Why do you really want the evening off?”

Darcy sighed and spouted another lie. “I have a date.”

Instead of smiling and giving her thumbs up like she always did, Jane frowned. “With whom?”

“You don’t know him.”

“Does Bucky know?”

Her heart skipped a beat at the mention of his name but Darcy had successfully learned to control her reactions over the past few days. “Why would I tell him about my love life?” she said casually, taking her phone and getting to her feet. “I’ll see you tomorrow, ‘kay?”

“Darcy!” Jane called after her. “What about dinner tonight with the Avengers? You can’t miss that.”

 _Watch me_ , she wanted to retort, but she merely grinned and said, “Sorry, Jane. Next time.”

A week ago, Darcy would have jumped at the chance to hang out with the Avengers. Now, it was exactly the kind of thing she was looking to avoid. It wasn’t the only reason why she wanted the evening off, though. The day before, Bucky had wandered onto the lab floor—without warning!—and, forget facing him like a grown-ass woman would, Darcy didn’t even have the courage to smile and make some excuse to leave. No. She had chickened out and hid behind the generator until he went away.

She had a feeling he would come again. He had never invaded her work space before, so she felt particularly annoyed about it. Especially since every time she saw him, a thrill shot through her system and her heart rate quickened. She hated herself for it.

“Darcy, Darcy, Darcy,” she scolded herself tiredly, kicking shut the door to her apartment and throwing herself on the couch. “You can’t run forever… can’t take every evening off… can’t go here… can’t go there… all because of a stupid Siren.”

She lay there for goodness knew how long, her blank stare tracing indistinct patterns on the ceiling, until the abrupt sound of the doorbell broke her out of her reverie.

“Un momento,” she called, dragging her feet to the door and pulling it open. Only to gasp and slam it shut again.

But before she could shut it completely, five metal fingers curled around the edge and pushed the door open with ease. Shocked and more than a little angry at the intrusion, Darcy scowled at Bucky when he stepped in and carefully closed the door behind him. His eyes were trained on hers and his gait was determined as he slowly advanced on her.

His voice, when he spoke, was cool, restrained. “How long did you think you could avoid me?”

Darcy bristled at his tone, her previous reservations about talking to him forgotten. “You were the one who told me to leave,” she bit out. “I was simply following orders.”

Bucky’s eyes flashed. “Don’t sass me, Darcy.”

“What do you want me to do?” she demanded, crossing her arms defensively. “Sit through your baseless apology and then go our separate ways?”

He gave her an incredulous look. “Is that what you think I want?”

“Why else would you follow me all around the tower if not to apologize for something that isn’t even your fault? I get that you’re embarrassed but you have nothing to be sorry for.”

“What—no, that’s not at all why I want to talk to you!”

Darcy scoffed. “Why, then? ‘Cause I’m pretty sure it isn’t just to tell me my hair smells good.”

“It _does_ smell good,” Bucky said quietly, blue eyes momentarily dropping to the locks of hair resting over the swell of her breast.

Darcy faltered, sidetracked by the sudden shift in conversation. “Um,” she fumbled, blinking rapidly. He wasn’t supposed to look at her like that. It was making her forget what she wanted to say.

“Darce,” Bucky said, taking advantage of her temporary speechlessness. “You have _no_ idea what happened that day. Please don’t presume—”

“No,” Darcy said immediately. She looked at him, eager to make him understand. “I _know_ what happened. Jane and I figured it out. It’s not your fault the Siren’s enchantment was crappy. She clearly made a mistake with you.”

“What are you on about?” Bucky grumbled. “She didn’t make any goddamn mistakes! In fact, she did her job exceptionally well if the fading scar on my torso is any indication.”

Darcy shook her head vehemently. “But her magic was flawed…”

At her words, he shot her a look of utter disbelief. “Is that what you tell yourself to ease your misplaced hurt? Jesus, Darcy, what’s wrong with you?” He started to pace, his movements quick and jerky. “That day, when I told you to leave, I wasn’t rejecting you.”

“Bucky, it’s okay. I don’t—”

“No, you need to hear this!” he insisted.

Darcy clamped her mouth shut and nodded for him to continue.

“That day, when you came in, the Siren… she recognized you.”

“Well, of course she did!”

“Shut up for a minute, will you?”

“Fine.”

Bucky huffed and went on, “The moment she saw you, she started… _humming_.”

“Humming?” But she hadn’t heard a single peep out of the Siren.

“Yeah. It was faint, not like when we were at sea, where the music was loud, clear and near impossible to resist.” Bucky’s eyes glazed over as he spoke and Darcy listened to him, stunned into silence. “It was chaos. The Sirens were powerful and unrelenting. They each picked one of us as their target and didn’t back down until either they were dead or we were in the sea with them. Stark may have gotten over it quickly but I know he was scared shitless when Steve succumbed to the enchantment.”

Hearing Bucky recite the full story made Darcy suddenly realize how much the mission had affected him. She had been so engrossed in her own concerns, she hadn’t stopped to think about what the Avengers had been through. She remembered the state of Dr. Banner’s clothes that day, the bandage wrapped around Natasha’s forearm, Clint’s broken leg in a cast, the quiet look on Steve’s face when he had mentioned Peggy.

She also recalled Natasha hitting Steve, telling him to ‘snap out of it’. At the time, Darcy hadn’t paid attention to them. But now she knew. Like Bucky, Steve was hearing the music too.

“It was a sound proof ward Stark locked her in,” Bucky continued. “But a hint of that godforsaken tune slipped through somehow. It was distracting. I was hurt and you were there… and I couldn’t concentrate… and—”

Before he could say another word, Darcy stepped closer and placed a hand on his cheek to stop him. She’d heard enough. She didn’t want any more explanations.

“It’s okay,” she whispered, grazing her fingers down his face. The bristles on his cheek felt delicious against the soft skin of her palm. “I get it.”

He covered her hand with his and brought it to rest over his heart. “I wasn’t rejecting you, Darcy. I just didn’t want you to see me at my weakest.”

Darcy let out an unsteady breath at his words, the underlying uncertainty in them, as if he believed knowing his weaknesses would make her adore him any less, made her gut twist.

“I thought you didn’t want me,” she said in a quiet voice, revealing her own uncertainty in a bid to make him understand that he wasn’t alone in his insecurities.

Bucky raised a hand to tuck a lock behind her ear, his fingers combing through her hair before coming to cup her neck. “You thought wrong.”

“Okay,” Darcy said simply, giving into the sudden burst of hope that filled her chest at his words.

She swayed closer to him, reveling in the tiny sparks of electricity his touch elicited. She caught herself wishing she had approached him sooner, cleared everything up instead of avoiding him like a coward. They had wasted so much time playing hide and seek.

Her eyes dropped to his mouth. She really wanted him to kiss her, she knew he wanted to, but he made no such move. He just stood there and looked at her like she was the most amazing thing in the world.

“I tried so hard to stay away from you,” he murmured, leaning down to brush his lips over her forehead. “I really did.”

“Why?” Darcy breathed, closing her eyes when he pressed light kisses over her eyelids.

“I didn’t think I was ready for a relationship.” His lips moved down her cheek, as slow as ever. “I didn’t think you’d want one with me anyway.”

“Because you’re the Winter Soldier?”

“Mm-hmm.” He smiled against her jaw when he felt her wrap her arms around his waist and pull him flush against her.

“I think the Winter Soldier is pretty cool,” Darcy teased. “It’s Bucky Barnes who’s an idiot.”

Bucky huffed out a laugh. “Not gonna argue with that, doll.”

“Good. Now, are you planning to kiss me soon…” Darcy stretched up on her tiptoes until her lips were a hair’s breadth away from his. “Or do I have to place an enchantment on you?”

“No, ma’am, once is enough,” Bucky replied with a grin before leaning down and capturing her lips in a sound kiss.

So, maybe Tony was right. Maybe there was a bright side to the Siren incident after all.


End file.
